Our Trip to West Virginia
This week my family is on vacation in West Virginia. Why West Virginia you may ask? Well, West Virginia is in many ways the exact opposite of New York City. Quiet, rural, and lots of nature. We found a cozy little Airbnb with a fireplace, situated on a river.
The drive from NYC to the Airbnb was going to take eight hours. My wife grew up in a road-tripping family, so eight hours for her seemed like light work. But for me, the thought of sitting in a car for eight hours straight was daunting. Consequently, I decided to break up the trip. We'd drive four hours on Saturday, stay in a motel that night, and drive the remaining four hours on Sunday.
My wife looked online and found a church for us to visit Sunday morning. It was near the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We walked in and were greeted by happy faces all around. A very welcoming congregation.
We seated ourselves in the back, just in case one of our kids got fussy. Soon after, two of the ushers took their seats behind us.
"Beautiful kids you've got there," one of the ushers remarked.
"Oh, thank you,” I replied. “Got any yourself?"
He lit up into a smile. "Four…going on six.” He paused. “Twins!”
My wife and I both congratulated him. "That's exciting," we said.
That usher nodded towards his fellow usher across the aisle. "That's nothing - he's got eight."
I looked across the aisle. The usher with eight children had a twinkle in his eye. He calmly nodded and smiled.
I couldn't believe it! You see, here in New York City most married couples have one, maybe two, children. So when our family walks down the sidewalk with three kids, we tend to get some attention. But here we were, not in this church for more than five minutes, and we’re met with two families twice the size of ours.
But what struck me most about that conversation was the attitude of the two deacons. They seemed happy. They seemed proud to have that many children. It reminded me of Psalm 127:3-5:
"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord : and the fruit of the womb is his reward. [4] As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. [5] Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
The world today tries to dissuade married couples from having children. “They'll be a burden. Too expensive. They'll hinder you from living your life to the fullest.”
But what I've found - and what many other Christian men and women have found as well - is that the truth is actually the exact opposite. Children don't subtract from your lives - they add to it. They add smiles, they add memories, they add laughter. Are they hard work? Absolutely. I'd be lying if I said they weren't. But they are worth it. And as you get to watch them grow and become an adult, you realize you wouldn't have it any other way.
Both me and my wife left that church feeling encouraged. The congregation was kind. The singing was encouraging. The sermon was edifying. But I know what struck me most about our visit was that brief conversation I had with the two deacons. Seeing where they were in life - and the contentment it gave them - was the greatest blessing for me.
Here are a few pictures from our trip:
